Australia-US submarines deal prompts Scott Morrison to launch charm offensive at

At their first bilateral meeting, Biden declared that Australia was America’s closest and most reliable ally before adding that the two nations were in “lockstep”.

“The United States has no closer or more reliable ally than Australia – our nations have been together for a long time,” Biden said.

Alluding to the challenges posed by climate change, pandemic, cyber warfare and a rising China, Biden said he believed the world was at an “inflection point”.

“Things are changing,” he said. “We can grasp the change and deal with it or be left behind, all of us.”

Majorities in the House and Senate are expected to come on board given the longstanding goodwill for Australia and a bipartisan determination to push back on China’s expansionism in the Indo-Pacific.

In a statement issued during a visit to London last week, Pelosi said she “commended the Prime Minister on his leadership in working with President Biden and Australian Prime Minister Morrison on the recently announced trilateral AUKUS security partnership”.

In a briefing earlier this week, a senior Biden administration official described Australia as a “unique actor” with “incredibly high standards” for nuclear non-proliferation.

“We don’t have the intention of extending this to other countries,” the official said of the submarine technology.

“This is for Australia. And it is based on a unique set of circumstances involving the Australian case.”

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Morrison will also meet with representatives from the bipartisan Friends of Australia caucus to gin up enthusiasm for the plan.

Democratic congressman Joe Courtney, the co-chair of the Friends of Australia caucus, last week hailed the “game-changing” decision to help Australia acquire a fleet of nuclear submarines.

“This is a great move by President Biden towards meeting the challenge in this critical region and recognising the hard-won and rock-solid relationship between the United States, Australia and the United Kingdom,” he said.